Eliminate Pay-To-Play Contracts

Floor Speech

Eliminate Pay-To-Play Contracts

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss H.R. 3427, the State Ethics Law Protection Act.

In a day and age where indictments and allegations of wrongdoing have become all too common, in fact, in Illinois, people read the scandal du jour in their newspaper. In this event, many States and local governments have enacted laws to eliminate awarding contracting based on pay-to-play, a practice of trading campaign contributions for lucrative government contracts.

Sadly, a loophole in the Federal Highway Administration's contracting requirements is making it difficult, if not impossible, for States to implement these anti-corruption laws if they want to continue to receive Federal highway support. It is up to us in Washington to make sure that our constituents are best served and their taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely.

By amending the Federal Highway Administration's contracting requirements, we in Washington can ensure that States have every tool at their disposal to encourage and ensure transparency and accountability. Please join me in supporting H.R. 3427, the State Ethics Law Protection Act, to ensure our dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively.

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